Demining

U.S. Humanitarian Mine Action Program

U.S. Department of State - Office of the Spokesman - For Immediate Release - October 19, 2004 - 2004/1130 - Media Note

U.S. Department of State Releases Fifth Annual Report on the Accomplishments of the U.S. Humanitarian Mine Action Program

The U.S. Department of State’s Office of Weapons Removal and Abatement in the Bureau of Political-Military Affairs has released “To Walk the Earth in Safety,” a comprehensive summary of United States support for landmine clearance, mine risk education and mine survivors assistance in 40 countries during 2003.

“Throughout this past decade, the United States has been by far the largest humanitarian mine action donor, having contributed between one third and one half of all the money invested worldwide on this cause. The evidence of America’s commitment is richly documented in this fifth report,” noted Lincoln P. Bloomfield, Jr., the Special Representative of the President and Secretary of State for Mine Action, in the report’s introduction. Special Representative Bloomfield also serves as the Assistant Secretary of State for Political-Military Affairs.

The fifth edition of this annual report profiles each of the 40 countries’ landmine problems, nature of assistance rendered by the inter-agency U.S. Humanitarian Mine Action Program, and the program’s accomplishments in the respective countries.

The report also describes the work of the Office of Weapons Removal and Abatement, the U.S. Department of Defense’s Humanitarian Demining Training Center, the Humanitarian Demining Research and Development Program of the U.S. Army’s Night Vision and Electronic Sensors Directorate, the Mine Action Information Center at James Madison University, and the Mine Detection Dog Center for South East Europe.

This edition of “To Walk the Earth in Safety” will soon be made available on line. A limited number of printed copies are available in the meantime. Email requests for copies to John Stevens at SteveJE@state.gov. Previous editions may be downloaded from www.state.gov/t/pm/rls/rpt/walkearth.

To learn more about the Office of Weapons Removal and Abatement’s humanitarian mine action and small arms and light weapons mitigation programs, visit www.state.gov/t/pm/wra.